Space

Comfortable for five, and can seat up to seven

BMW X5 boot space

Every X5 is spacious enough to keep four large adults happy, while a
fifth will be reasonably comfortable in its central rear seat. By
contrast, the rival porsche/cayenne/">Porsche
Cayenne struggles to accommodate more than four people because it has
less shoulder room and forces a central rear passenger to straddle a
lump in the floor.

BMW extends its advantage by offering an optional third row of seats
that can be folded flat when they’re not in use. Just bear in mind
that these seats are really only for children and emergencies; space
is much tighter than it is in the third row of the
discovery/">Land Rover Discovery.

Like the Discovery, the X5 has a tailgate that’s split in two, with
the lower half opening downwards to double as a loading platform.
Meanwhile, the boot itself is easily big enough to cope with a
family’s holiday luggage.

Comfort

The X5 is available with several suspension setups, but we’d
recommend the Adaptive Comfort suspension that’s available on SE
versions of the car because this makes it a comfortable cruiser.

M Sport models come with Adaptive M Sport suspension instead, and
this is nowhere near as forgiving.

The seats in the X5 are supportive. However, BMW’s manual seat
controls are horribly fiddly, so if more than one person is going to
drive the car regularly, you’ll definitely want electric seat adjustment.

All of the diesel engines in the X5 transmit some unpleasant
vibration through the pedals when you accelerate, although the 30d
engine is quieter than the 25d and the 50d.

Dashboard layout

Classy and simple to use

Like other BMWs, the X5 comes with the company’s iDrive control
system, which is one of the best around.

You operate most functions by scrolling through logical onscreen
menus using a rotary dial that’s positioned just behind the gearstick,
where it’s easy to reach. And there are shortcut buttons that you can
programme to take you straight to the functions you use most often.

The way the screen is positioned high on the dash also aids
usability because it means you can always keep half an eye on the road.

And while the dashboard doesn’t look as swanky as the Porsche
Cayenne’s, the X5 still feels every inch the premium product.

Easy to drive

You sit high in the X5, so get an excellent view of the road ahead.
And while rear visibility isn’t as good as it is in the Land Rover
Discovery, there are no major blind spots to worry about.

Steering that’s light at low speed adds to the ease of driving, as
does the smooth-shifting automatic gearbox that’s standard on every
model. Only the X5’s considerable size makes it a little tricky to
manoeuvre and park.

Reliability

BMW has a pretty good record

The latest X5 is too new to have been included in the JD Power
customer satisfaction survey. However, it’s closely related to the
previous version, which finished 52nd out of 116 cars in 2013 – a
respectable performance rather than an outstanding one.

BMW matches Land Rover and
mercedes.html">Mercedes in providing a warranty that
lasts for three years, no matter how many miles you do. And it betters
audi.html">Audi and Porsche here, because
they stop their cover after three years or 60,000 miles, whichever
comes first.

Fuel economy

Good for this sort of car

Alberto MartinezBMW X5 driving side view

Big 4x4s tend to drink a lot of fuel, but the X5 is more efficient
than most. The 30d diesel version returns an official average of
45.6mpg, whereas the equivalent Porsche Cayenne manages only 39.2mpg
and the Land Rover Discovery 35.3mpg.

If you’re prepared to live without four-wheel drive, you can even
have an X5 with an average of more than 50mpg.

Affordability

Cheaper to run than most big 4x4s

The X5’s impressive fuel economy helps keep running costs low by the
standards of big 4x4s. As does the optional BMW Service Inclusive
package, which covers your first five years of servicing for a one-off
payment of £475.

You’ll still need pretty deep pockets to afford the list price or
the monthly finance bills, and it won’t hold its value as well as a
Range Rover Sport.

However, the X5’s comparatively low CO2 emissions make it cheaper
than most big 4x4s as a company car.

Safety

Like most modern cars, the X5 has a stability control system that can
automatically rein in the engine’s power and brake individual wheels
to help you stay in control in poor conditions.

It also has front, side and window airbags in case an accident
proves unavoidable. But it’s a little disappointing that these window
’bags don’t extend far enough to protect people in the optional third
row of seats.

Another standard feature is a trailer assist system that aids
stability when you’re towing.

Meanwhile, the options list includes a head-up display that projects
your speed on to the windscreen so you don’t have to look down at the
instruments, and a night vision camera that highlights pedestrians you
might not otherwise see in the dark.

We’re still waiting to see how the latest X5 performs in crash
tests, but the signs are promising because its predecessor was awarded
the maximum five stars by test body Euro NCAP.

Standard spec

Every version gets lots of luxuries

BERNHARD_LIMBERGER

Even the cheaper, SE versions of the X5 come with a long list of
standard features, including metallic paint, front and rear parking
sensors, leather upholstery, satellite-navigation, a Bluetooth
hands-free phone connection and a digital radio.

The verdict

A discovery.html">Land Rover
Discovery is more practical and a porsche/cayenne.html">Porsche
Cayenne better to drive, but the bmw/">BMW X5 strikes a
good balance between the two. It’s an appealing option.